Greater Cincinnati Indian Community Choir/Shanti Choir
Founded in 1994 by Dr. Kanniks Kannikeswaran, the Greater Cincinnati Indian Community Choir (Shanti Choir) features community singers of Indian origin. The group's repertoire is based on Classical Indian Ragas with lyrics largely in the Sanskrit language sourced primarily from ancient classics—clothed in choral polyphony.
The Shanti Choir performs regularly at Saengerfest Cincinnati and was also featured in the CSO Classical Roots concert at Music Hall in 2014. It has also performed in collaborative, sold-out performances at the Aronoff Center and received two silver medals at the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati. This group is at the forefront of the Indian American choral movement pioneered by Kanniks; Composer/Conductor Kanniks has built similar community choirs in more than 12 cities in the U.S. and has worked with more than 2,500 singers and artists.
Kanniks Kannikeswaran is a composer/music educator with several productions and recordings to his credit. He is the recipient of the Ohio Heritage Fellowship, the McKnight Residency Fellowship, a Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Madras and various other awards.